Chapter 139 Spring Goes and Autumn Comes

Spring passes and autumn comes.

Li Chunying has gained weight. Yao Deyi, on the other hand, has become increasingly thin and has recently been lying in bed, unwilling to move. He has also lost interest in watching TV and often mentions wanting to go home.

Besides talking to Li Chunying, he also talked to Yao Fanghua. Every time Yao Fanghua came over, he would always mention wanting to go home.

Yao Deyi was born thin and frail. It's said he nearly died from an illness as a child, and even after surviving, he received little care from his parents and was disliked by his own mother. Grandma Yao favored ambitious and competitive girls like her eldest aunt, and looked down on the weak and incompetent Yao Deyi. From a young age, Yao Deyi had a somewhat people-pleasing personality, which made him appear even more vulnerable and easily bullied by others. Not only did outsiders bully him, but his siblings also didn't take him seriously. Unfortunately, he himself was unambitious and couldn't stand up for himself, causing Li Chunying to suffer a lot of humiliation in his early years.

Later, Yao Fanghua became quite successful, and Yao Weimin also became more and more respectable. People around them began to treat Yao Deyi kindly and even flatter him. Yao Deyi's personality did not change much. He still couldn't shake his ingratiating nature. He would answer questions, agree with others, and subconsciously be careful not to offend others.

But recently, Yao Deyi seems to have suddenly seen things more clearly, and has become more open-minded and true to himself.

Before, I would always answer the nurses' questions with a smile.

Now, no matter who I'm facing, I only speak when I feel like it, and I keep my mouth shut when I don't. I no longer force a smile; I can give a cold look whenever I want. I'm even more awkward than before, and I talk less.

Even Li Chunying has become much more accommodating these days, often speaking in a coaxing manner.

Not to mention Yao Fanghua and the others, they were all just being coaxed.

Yao Deyi mentioned wanting to go home many times, but when he didn't get a reply, he would get upset and have a dark expression.

It's absolutely true that a bad mood can affect one's health.

Li Chunying couldn't win against the stubborn and difficult-to-talk-to Yao Deyi, and Yao Fanghua's children were even less able to resist him. They were ill and might pass away at any time, so who wanted to upset their father at this time? They had no choice but to appease him.

Yao Fanghua asked him where he wanted to stay when he got back. He replied, "The new building that the fan factory built. Winter is coming soon, and it's warm and convenient to wash up in the building. My little courtyard is also fine; it's warm there too."

Yao Deyi shook his head, gazing longingly at Yao Fanghua. "I just want to go home, to live in that tenement." He had lived there his whole life; it was familiar, he missed it, it was his root. He especially missed those two rooms in the tenement, the familiar scenery around it, even just sitting at the door looking at the people and things around him would be nice.

"Okay, it's been a long time since anyone has lived here. I'll have someone clean it up, install underfloor heating, add a few more radiators to the outer room, and replace the windows and doors with double-glazed ones. I'll also build a sink inside so it'll be convenient to wash hands and get water. But there's one thing: they'll need to go to the hospital for regular checkups."

Upon hearing that he could return, Yao Deyi, his face full of wrinkles, agreed to whatever Yao Fanghua said.

"You and Mom can stay here for a while. We'll send you back once things are settled over there."

Yao Deyi pressed further, "Can you go back before the Lunar New Year?"

"Yes! We'll celebrate the Spring Festival in the courtyard this year."

"Alright, tell your mother to pack her things first, make sure she doesn't forget anything, and don't forget the wheelchair." Yao Deyi seemed quite eager to go home.

Let alone him, even Li Chunying, after a year away, has been thinking about going back home. She's torn; she's reluctant to give up her comfortable life here, yet she also longs to go back. However, she doesn't plan to open the steamed bun shop anymore—it's too exhausting. Compared to her past life, she can't even bear to think about it. Just thinking about it makes her feel unbearably bitter. She remembers the miserable life she endured before, working herself to the bone from dawn till dusk—it wasn't human life, it was like being a beast of burden. She doesn't dare to recall it, let alone go back to that kind of life.

She's not so poor she can't afford to eat. Yao Fanghua and Yao Weimin give her money every month, even if they don't, she has a pension, she won't starve. Wouldn't it be nice for her to be a decent human being, playing cards and watching TV every day?

Li Chunying was determined that even if she went back, she would continue living the same life she was living now.

"Hua Hua, your dad and I are going back. What if we need to go to the hospital, or if something happens to your dad, and I can't take care of him by myself?"

"Should we hire a live-in caregiver and add a bed in the outer room?" Yao Fanghua sighed. "It's more convenient to be hospitalized."

Zhong Er has a car. Call Zhong Er if you need to go to the hospital for a checkup and ask him to take you.

I'll try to persuade Dad again; if he can be hospitalized, he should be.

"Yeah, I did want him to be hospitalized, but he's so stubborn now." Trying to coax him with sweet words doesn't work, and if you really get angry with him, he'll only become more stubborn. I'm afraid he might do something bad, so I can only give in and give in. "I guess your dad's just too bored here; there aren't many people to talk to."

Before Li Chunying and Yao Deyi even returned home, the courtyard had already become lively. People were coming and going, all there to renovate their houses.

As soon as there was any commotion here, everyone in the alley knew that Yao Deyi and his wife were coming back. Before they knew it, a year had passed.

Zhang Xiuxiu looked at the house, which had changed so much in just a few days, and was incredibly envious, especially of the new doors and windows. The large double-glazed windows made the room instantly brighter, and she was very impressed. She asked the installer about it, and finally, with a heavy heart, she waved him away. But she wasn't satisfied and called the installer back, asking if there were any cheaper double-glazed windows available.

Of course there are.

Zhang Xiuxiu calculated the price, then looked at the still-usable glass window. In the end, she couldn't bear to replace it. There would be many more expenses in the future: her child's schooling, food, clothing, and her son's wedding—all of which would cost money. Besides, she couldn't bear to spend the money.